Grain car door implement



March 16, 1948. c, FLAGSTAD GRAIN CAR noon IMPLEMENT Filed April 22,1944 Cameu. Fmaamn Patented Mar. 16, 1948 siren STATES PATENT OFFICEGRAIN CAR DOOR IMPLEMENT Cornell Flagstad, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application April 22, 1944, Serial No. 532,296

7 Claims. (Cl. 254-113) This invention relates generally to improvementsin grain car doors and more particularly to means for opening or raisingthe doors of the cars used by railroads for transporting grain.

Cars for this purpose have side openings for loading and unloading thegrain and it is, of course, necessary to close or board up theseopenings during transport. Doors are accordingly provided for theopenings and these doors are arranged in superimposed ed e to edgerelation crosswise of the opening and inwardly of the side partsthereof. In practice the doors are opened and removed one at a time,starting with the one uppermost, by urging the doors upwardly so thatthe grain may run out beneath. When the outward pressure of the grainagainst the doors is thus relieved the doors may be removed and putaside until needed again.

Due to the pressure of the grain the raising of the doors requiresconsiderable force and heretofore this has been accomplished by varioustools, all of which were makeshift to some extent and most of whichcaused damage to the car and doors such as to render the latter soonunfit for further use.

It is the primary object of my invention therefore to provide animplement of simple and durable nature for raising grain car doors andwhich may be readily and conveniently used for the purpose, will provideadequate force and leverage for proper operation, and which is veryrapid in operation. Another object is to provide an implement which,used with grain car doors having suitable means for accommodating it,will not only make the raising of the doors very easy but will cause nodamage whatever to cars or doors.

These and other more detailed and specific objects will be disclosed inthe course of the following specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary outsideelevation of a grain car doorway provided with doors adapted to the useof my implement.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1showing two tools in use upon the doors.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the 2 abandoned May 28, 1944,to which attention is invited for comparative purposes.

Referring now more particularly and by reference characters to thedrawings, A designates one of the two upright side posts which definethe lateral margins of a grain car doorway, B the car floor and C thedoors by which the doorway is closed when the car is filled with grain.

The doors C are of such length as to more than span the doorway,extending at their ends against inner surfaces of the door posts A asseen in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the doors are arranged on edge oneabove the other to close the doorway to any height desired. As hereshown the doors are three in number but any number may of course be usedas required. In practice the doors may be held to the posts by lightlynailing from the inside, or by other suitable means which will permitthe doors to be easily pried free by a suitable tool and then movedupwardly one at a time to permit the grain to run out beneath. Thepressure of the grain against the inner sides of the doors will, ofcourse, normally assist in holding them in place.

The doors may be constructed in any suitable manner and are herein shownas of two ply thickness, formed of oppositely laid boards and areprovided adjacent each end with two upright, transversely spaced cleatsC.

In accordance with my present invention I provide the doors C with meansat each end for accommodating a raising implement, one of which will beused at each end of the doors in practice. Such means for accommodatingthe implements comprises bracket members of two forms, one a hook l6 andthe other a rest ll. Qne each of these members is mounted at each end ofthe doors, for which purposes the members are provided with aperturedbase lugs designated generally at 12 adapted to be screwed, nailed orotherwise secured to the doors, preferably in the upright channel-likespaces between the cleats C. The hooks ID are located substantiallymidway of the vertical width of the doors whereas the rests l I aremounted near the upper edges. The hooks ll have downwardly openingrecesses l3 while the rests have upwardly opening recesses l4.

Referring particularly to Fig. 2 I show therein a pair of theimplements, designated generally at l5 and I6, one operating upon theuppermost door C while the other is reversed and arranged in positionfor raising the lowermost door. Ordinarily the implements are not usedin pairs at each end of the doors and this showing is made forconvenience only. The implements l5 and I6 thus shown are of courseidentical in construction.

Implement 15 comprises a handle or handle member I! made up of spaced,longitudinally extending side bars l8 and I9 between which at one end issecured a wooden filler 20 to form a handy gripping end. The opposite oroperating end 2| of the handle is provided with a pin 22 carrying pin22, thus providing the maximum advantage and leverage in starting thedoor upward. As the handle approaches a more horizontal position,however, the links 29 and 3!] swing outward and the efiective leveragebetween the handle I1 and leg member 23 decreases, as the loaddecreases, while, at the same time the effective included angle betweenthe handle and leg member will increase. The latter result perwhich -isriveted crosswise between -the rounded mits the operating ends 2! and 26to be spread extremities of the side bars l8 and 19 and holds them inproperly spaced relation. The implement further comprises a leg or armmember 23 which has a bifurcated operating end portion- -24- providedwith a cross pin 25 similar to pin' 22. The

neath the hook it) on this door, while the leg .'.-member..-23. isturned downward and braced other end of the leg member 23 -hasan'foffs'et head or knuckle 26 and pivoted rthereto at 21. and 28respectively are long and short links '29 and 30. The long links 29extend between the: side bars I 8 and I9 toward the gripping end of therhan'dle. and are-longitudinally"slotted at 3|: to

engage a pin .32--secured-crosswise betweerr:said bars. The short:links- 3ii-extend -inea, generally i "opposite, direction :andarepivotallyattached at i'their'otherj :ends to apivot'pin- 33. i

" floating pivot for the leg member of the implementwhere the maximum insimplicity is re- "T Thelinks 29 and 30-form afioatingor shifting pivotconnection between thexleg: member .2 3" and handle I11 and. permitthe;leg:member to"swing freely from a positiontextendinglalmost straightoutwardly orendwise from the handle, as seen inithe lower tool. in'Fig.2,to. a folded or carrying -position in-which the leg me mber liesalmost T flat against and toward the gripping end of-the handle. The legmember is-norm'ally urged-toward either of these positions by anexpansion coil-spring 36 which is-coiled around an arm 35, pivoted atone end at 36 tothe head 26 eccentric to-both of the pivots 2'1 and 28,and at its other end longitudinally slotted at 31 (Fig. 3) to-play "overa pin 38 secured between'theflong links 29.

The spring is bracedbetween an'enlarged end -39 of the arm 35 and thepin 38yandnormally tends to urge point 36 to 'oneside or the other ofthe link pivot 28 and thus swing thelegmembBIftQ ,eitherpositiondescribed. The spring po-" sitioning of the. leg .member .thus preventsit from swinging about loosely and possibly injur- "ing the user.

In.use the implement is first engaged between the uppermost door and theone.next beneath. For this .purpose the. leg member 23 is-swung.oiutwardly from, normal carrying or folded. position to extend endwisebeyond the. operating, end. 2|

of the handle I? and the respective .pin's .25.,and

1.22 will now justnicelyengage betweenthehook' .lflon'the upper door.and the rest H on.the.one beneath, the handler'oLthee implement hangingdownwardly and. beingsupported. by..the rest .I l

.Now as the handle H is grasped-and.swung-upand. hook. it,respectlvelypthe. .upperdoorfneces- ;7

:sarily ,must move. upward with .respect to; the lower. Inlthe operationof swinging the-handle l'l upwardly .the.-leg.- member a 23 .first.oscillates .about a centerlocated substantially at thesame distanceasthe pi1i'33iromthe end otthehandle on the doors may be endured.

pivoted upon the pivot pin 33. was" "toa maximum distance apart to raisethe door :lovv ermost"d0or is removed whereupon the implement isreversed and the pin 22 engaged beagainst the car floor B. This is theposition assumed by the implement IS in Fig. 2, and it will be apparentthat downward swinging movement of-.;the handle H will now urge thelowermost doorv upwardly with'respect to the car floor. with thegsamc,effectiveness as the other doors are raised.

As shown in Fig. 4 I may dispense with the quired, or where a reductionin the effective lift Here the leg member is designated at 23 and hastwo diverging'side members 40 and 4! which enter between the side barsl8 and IQ of the handle I! and are An expansion coil spring 42 is coiledon pin 33 between the pivoted ends of the side members 39 and 4| andurges them outward into frictional or braking engagement with innersides of the bars I8 and I9. Thus the leg member 23 will be preventedfrom flopping freely about and pinching or striking the user. Otherwisethe construction of this implement is identical to that describedhereinbefore, the handle I? having a cross pin 22 and the leg member across pin 25 as clearly shown.

fully disclosed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

.1. Animplement for raising grain car doors, comprising in combination,a handle having an operating end, a pin in said operating end, a legmember, means pivotally connecting the leg member to the handle, thesaid leg member having an'operating end swingable about said connectionWithrespect to the operating end of the handle and said operating end ofthe leg memher. also having a pin, each door having a hook member inwhich one of the said pins'may be releasably engaged, and rest means oneach door for engagement by the other pin whereby spreading movements ofthe operating endsof the handle and leg members carrying said pins willurge the doors apart.

2. An implement for raising grain car' doors each having a rest memberand a hook member mounted in vertically spaced relation, comprising incombination, a handle having an operating end, a cross pin on saidoperating end, a leg .member having an operating end, means forming apivotal connection between the other .end of vthe leg member and thehandle and permitting swinging and spreading movements of theoperating-end of the leg member toward and away from the operating endof the handle in response to manipulation of the handle, a cross pin onthe operating end of the leg member, the said cross pins beingreleasably engageable with a hook member on one door and a rest memberon the door next beneath whereby the spreading of the operating ends ofthe handle and leg member will urge one door upwardly with respect tothe other, and the said leg member being also operative to brace againstthe car floor with the pin in the operating end of the handle engagingthe hook member on the lower door for raising the lower door withrespect to said floor.

3. An implement for raising grain car doors each having a rest memberand a hook member mounted in vertically spaced relation, comprising incombination, a handle having an operating end, a cross pin in saidoperating end, a leg member having an operating end, means forming amovable connection between the other end of the leg member and thehandle permitting swinging and spreading movements of the respectiveoperating ends of the handle and leg member in response to manipulationof the handle, a cross pin in the operating end of the leg member, thesaid ClOSs pins being releasably engageable with the hook and restmembers in the doors for exerting vertical spreading movements betweenthe doors, and the said connection between the leg member and the handlebeing spring set to hold the leg member in adjusted positions withrespect to the handle.

4. An implement for raising grain car doors 7 each having a rest memberand a hook member mounted in vertically spaced relation, comprising incombination, a handle having an operating end, a cross pin in saidoperating end, a leg member having an operating end, means forming aswingable connection between the other end of the leg member and thehandle permitting relative swinging and spreading movements of therespective operating ends of the handle and leg member in response tomanipulation of the handle, a cross pin in the operating end of the legmember, the said cross pins being releasably engageable with the hookand rest members in the doors for exerting vertical spreading movementsbetween the doors and the said connection between the leg member, andthe handle including links pivotally connected to the leg member andhandle and movable with respect to the latter forming a shifting pivotconnection between the leg member and handle.

5. An implement for raising grain car doors each having a rest memberand a hook member mounted in vertically spaced relation, comprising incombination, a handle having an operating end, a pin in said operatingend, a leg member having an operating end and a pin therein and saidmember having a pivotal connection between its other end and the handleand permitting swinging and spreading movements of its operating endtoward and away from the operating end of the handle in response tomanipulation of the handle, the said pins being releasably en ageablewith the hook and rest members in the doors for exerting verticalspreading movements between the doors, the said leg member including abifurcated portion, and spring means for urging said bifurcated portionof the leg member into frictional engagement with the handle to hold theleg member in adjusted positions with respect to the handle.

6. An implement for lifting grain car doors *of the type which arearranged edgewise one above the other to close the grain car doorwayfrom the car floor upwardly, comprisin a handle member, a leg member,means swingably connecting the handle and leg members wherebycorresponding ends thereof may be swung toward and spread away from eachother, each of the said doors having a rest member and a hook membersecured thereto in vertically spaced relation, and means on the saidends of the handle and leg member for engaging the rest member on onedoor and the hook member on the next door next above wherebymanipulation of the handle to cause spreading movements of the handleand leg member will pry the upper door upward.

7. An implement for raising grain car doors of the type which arearranged edgewise one above the other upon the floor of the car, saiddoors each having a rest member and a hook member secured thereto, ahandle member having an end adapted to rest upon the rest member of anyselected door, and a leg member connected to the handle member andadapted to project upwardly therefrom and engage at its upper end withthe hook member on the door next above whereby lifting movements of thehandle will force the door engaged by the leg member in an upwarddirection.

CORNELL FLAGSTAD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 174,269 Martin Feb. 29, 1876569,056 Regan Oct. 6, 1896 733,517 Swenson July 14, 1903 833,331Michaelis Oct. 16, 1906 882,066 Keeler Mar. 17, 1908 976,357 GoodwinNov, 22, 1910 1,332,404 Manning Mar. 2, 1920 1,496,401 Alfrey June 3,1924 1,690,262 Westling Nov. 6, 1928

